Punishment

Deterrence - it makes an example of them. Rehabilitation - punishment can change the offenders so they can no longer offend. Incapacitation - use of punishment to remove the ability to offend again.

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What is Durkheim's functionalist perspective about punishment?

Punishment's function is to uphold social solidarity and reinforce shared values. There are 2 types of justice - retributive, with severe and cruel punishment, and restitutive, which restores interdependence between individuals.

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How does Marxism view punishment?

Argue the function of punishment is to maintain social order and is part of the 'repressive state apparatus'. Punishment means workers have to 'repay a debt to society' and prisons and factories are similar.

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Foucault

There are 2 different types of punishment , sovereign power - punishment was a spectacle and a means of asserting control. Disciplinary power - it governs people through surveillance e.g. panopticon.

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What 3 ways is Foucault criticised?

The shift from sovereign to disciplinary is less clear than he suggests. He ignores expressive aspects of punishment. He exaggerates the extent of control.

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What is imprisonment like today?

Recently there has been a move towards populist punitiveness where politicians have sought popularity by calling for tougher sentences. This has resulted in overcrowding and we have one of the highest imprisonment rates.

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What is the era of mass incarceration?

Recently the numbers in jail have risen, but it is the systematic imprisonment of whole groups e.g. black males. The reason for this is the politicisation of crime control. There has been moves away from reintegrative policies and more tough policies

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What is transcarceration?

The idea that individuals become locked into a cycle of control shifting between different carceral agencies during their lives. This is a product of blurring boundaries between criminal justice and welfare agencies. E.g. child care to prison.

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What are 2 possible alternatives to prison and their negatives?

Diversion from contact with criminal justice system. Community based controls e.g. community service and curfew. Cohen argues this just cast a net of control over more people & some community controls e.g.ASBOs just fast-track young people to prison.

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Other cards in this set

Card 2

Front

Punishment's function is to uphold social solidarity and reinforce shared values. There are 2 types of justice - retributive, with severe and cruel punishment, and restitutive, which restores interdependence between individuals.

Back

What is Durkheim's functionalist perspective about punishment?

Card 3

Front

Argue the function of punishment is to maintain social order and is part of the 'repressive state apparatus'. Punishment means workers have to 'repay a debt to society' and prisons and factories are similar.

Back

Card 4

Front

There are 2 different types of punishment , sovereign power - punishment was a spectacle and a means of asserting control. Disciplinary power - it governs people through surveillance e.g. panopticon.

Back

Card 5

Front

The shift from sovereign to disciplinary is less clear than he suggests. He ignores expressive aspects of punishment. He exaggerates the extent of control.